Quantum field theory (QFT) is a physics framework that describes how particles and forces behave based on principles rooted in quantum mechanics and Albert Einstein’s special relativity theory. This framework predicts the emergence of various remarkable effects in curved spacetimes, including Hawking radiation.
Hawking radiation is the thermal radiation theorized to be emitted by black holes close to the event horizon (i.e., the boundary around a black hole after which gravity becomes too strong for anything to escape). As ascertaining the existence of Hawking radiation and testing other QFT predictions in space is currently impossible, physicists have been trying to identify physical systems that could mimic aspects of curved spacetimes in experimental settings.
Researchers at Sorbonne University recently identified a new promising experimental platform for simulating QFT and testing its predictions. Their proposed QFT simulator, outlined in a paper published in Physical Review Letters, consists of a one-dimensional quantum fluid made of polaritons, quasiparticles that emerge from strong interactions between photons (i.e., light particles) and excitons (i.e., bound pairs of electrons and holes in semiconductors).
“Finding a temperate planet in such a compact system makes this discovery particularly exciting,” Charles Cadieux, a postdoctoral researcher at the university and lead author of the study, said in the statement. “It highlights the remarkable diversity of exoplanetary systems and strengthens the case for studying potentially habitable worlds around low-mass stars.”
L 98–59 f was discovered by reanalyzing data from the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher) and ESPRESSO (Echelle Spectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations) spectrographs. Since the exoplanet doesn’t transit, or pass in front of, its host star from our perspective, astronomers spotted it by tracking subtle shifts in the star’s motion that are caused by the planet’s gravitational pull.
By combining the spectrograph data with observations from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — and using advanced techniques to filter out stellar noise — researchers were able to determine the size, mass and key properties of all five planets.
AI experts warn that AI could eliminate millions of jobs, and advocates for Universal Basic Income believe such a system might become necessary.
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Childhood brain tumor survival depends on the type of tumor. Comparing survival rates across countries is difficult, because brain tumors aren’t recorded in the same way everywhere in Europe. A new study led by the Princess Máxima Center is helping to change that. For the first time, the research provides a clear and clinically relevant overview of survival outcomes for children with brain tumors.
Researchers at the Princess Máxima Center analyzed data from more than 30,000 children diagnosed with a brain tumor between 1998 and 2013. The data came from 80 cancer registries across 31 European countries. The study was published today in The Lancet Oncology.